Bloom-Carroll’s magical playoff run ends with a state runner-up finish

CANTON – It was almost dying by a thousand cuts for Bloom-Carroll football.

The Bulldogs had made a living throughout the playoffs by converting third downs and keeping drives alive with their outstanding rushing attack.

However, the tables were turned on them Friday during the Division III state championship game against Canfield, and Cardinal quarterback Broc Lowry was able to deliver by slicing and dicing play after play when his team needed it the most.

Each time it seemed as if the Bloom-Carroll defense was going to get a stop, Lowry, who has committed to play at Indiana, was able to get just enough yards, whether it be with his legs or arm, to keep drives alive.

In the end, the Bulldogs had no answer for Lowry, who accounted for all five of the Cardinals’ touchdowns, as Canfield (14-1) steadily pulled away after leading 14-7 at halftime for a 35-14 victory at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

It was a tough way to end the season for the Bulldogs (14-2), who had reached the state semifinals the last two years in Division IV but acquitted themselves well after moving up to Division III and finishing as state runners-up.

“It obviously didn’t turn out as we had hoped, but I have nothing but pride for how hard our team played and how much they put into getting us here.” Bloom-Carroll coach Jeremy McKinney said. “They have set a new standard for Bloom-Carroll football that will never be forgotten.”

Even though the Bulldogs were never able to get their rushing attack going, defensively, they played well enough to keep them in the game, and for the most part, had contained Lowry, and was to keep him from making huge chunk plays.

However, the Bulldogs were able to stop him on third down, and time and time again, he was able to make plays and move the chains.

“It was frustrating because they were able to keep moving the clock and every time they converted a third down, we weren't able to do what we do when we have the ball,” Bloom-Carroll defensive lineman Kale Kraner said. “That was a big part of the game.”

Lowry finished with 121 yards rushing on 24 carries and three touchdowns, completed 10 of 17 passes for 95 yards and a score, and he caught a throwback pass for a 69-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to all but seal the deal and give the Cardinals a commanding 28-7 lead.

“He is a heck of a player, and we knew that coming in,” McKinney said. “I’m not sure anyone has stopped him, but we wanted to limit his big plays. The throwback pass changed the momentum of the game, but if you look at their third down conversions compared to ours, and more than anything else during the game, that was the big story. They were converting third downs and we weren’t. It changed the course of the game.”

The Cardinals converted 9-of-12 third conversions compared to just 4-of-10 for the Bulldogs. Canfield finished with 366 yards, including 202 yards on the ground, while the Bulldogs managed 223 yards and season-low 69 yards on the ground.

Canfield was able to score the first time it had the ball, and three times during the drive, Lowry was able to convert third down conversions, twice by running and once by throw. He capped the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:18 left in the first quarter.

The Cardinals were threatening to score, but on the first play of the second quarter, Carter Cornelius intercepted Lowry at the Bulldogs’ 15-yard line. After the turnover, Bloom-Carroll went three-and-out, giving the ball right back to Lowry and company.

This time, he led the Cardinals on a 14-play, 74-yard scoring drive and capped it off with a 3-yard touchdown run with 2:48 left in the half.

Bloom-Carroll cut the deficit in half, thanks to sophomore quarterback Ethan Thanthanavong, who completed six passes and drove the Bulldogs to a score. He found Brodyn Bishop in the end zone with only five seconds left in the first half to cut the score to 14-7 at halftime.

The Bulldogs did precisely what they needed to do by getting a defensive stop coming out of the half but fumbled the ball away at midfield. Lowry took advantage as he engineered another scoring drive and scored on a two-yard run to push the lead to 21-7 with 3:55 left in the third quarter.

“We got a stop and made them punt coming out of the half, and we were moving the ball and then we had a fumble and turned it over back to them,” McKinney said. “That kind of zapped our momentum and we were back in the same spot as we were most of the first half. They wanted to control the clock and unfortunately, they did that most of the game.”

Lowry would then score on the throwback pass and add a 9-yard scoring strike with 7:35 remaining.

Bloom-Carroll scored its final touchdown on a 1-yard run by senior Chase Plantz with 2:12 left in the game.

Armentrout led the Bulldogs with 61 yards rushing on 16 carries, with a long of only eight yards. Thanthanavong completed 15 of 24 passes for 154 yards. Bishop had five catches for 43 yards, Jayse Rockwood had four catches for 38 yards and Jett Jones hauled in three passes for 26 yards.

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Bloom-Carroll’s magical playoff run ends with a state runner-up finish